206 If Something Goes Wrong
Develop good computing habits
Saving system configuration with restore points
The System Restore feature of the Windows® operating system
quickly creates restore points—‘snapshots’ of your Windows®
operating system configuration—and saves them for later recall. If
you experience problems after installing some new hardware or
software, you can easily select a previously established Control
Point to ‘turn back the clock,’ restoring the Windows® operating
system to the state it was in just prior to the installation. This is
much easier and more effective than uninstalling the hardware or
software, which often leaves behind unwanted files and settings. It
is also easy to undo a restore point selection, if you change your
mind.
Follow these steps to create a restore point using the System
Restore utility:
1Click Start, Control Panel, System and Security, and then
System.
2In the left pane click System protection.
The System Protection tab of the System Properties window
appears.
3Click Create...
4In the input field, enter a name that is descriptive enough to be
easily understood in the future, such as “Before installing
Brand X Accounting app.” Then click Create.
The Windows® operating system creates the restore point,
automatically stamps it with the current date and time, and
displays a message that the restore point was successfully
created.
5Click Close.
Then, at a later time, you can re-establish your Windows®
configuration using the saved restore point. To do this:
1Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and
then System Restore.
2Select Recommended restore or Choose a different restore
point, and then click Next.
The timestamp and description of each restore point is
displayed.